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49 comments

Looking for information about Jemima Moyers Cleveland Wyly who was the illigitimate daughter of Col. Benjamin Cleveland (Revolutionary War hero). I believe Jemima's mother was Magdalena Moyer whose family were Second Colony Germanna? Jemima's son, Gen. Rutherford Wyly, married the granddaughter of Gen. John Sevier (Revolutionary War hero).

Im trying to get info on my 7xs great grand father born in Baden-Wurenburg 1670 wife Margaritha not sute of the spelling of the names I know he came to Pennsylvania in 1717. Any information on this would be great.

Im trying to get info on my 7xs great grand father born in Baden-Wurenburg 1670 wife Margaritha not sure of the spelling of the names I know he came to Pennsylvania in 1717. Any information on this would be great.

I am searching for a link between Johann Jost Merten/Jost Martin and my Martin family of Washington County, Indiana. My brother has taken the familytreedna test and was placed as a descendent of the Martin's of Germanna. We do not have a known family line back to the Germanna Colonies. I asked a distant Martin male cousin to also take the test and he too was placed under the Martin dna family of Germanna.

My furthest known ancestor is William Martin (died 28 Aug 1841), and his wife Elizabeth (died 23 Oct 1836), who resided in Washington County, Indiana. Their children were:

Jane Hubbard, my Gr Gr Grandmother, spoken mostly German, and it was said that she was from the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia.

I have looked at: "A Martin Genealogy Tied to the History of Germanna, Virginia", and do not find this family listed. Yes, there are other Martin's mentioned in the book who have ties to Germanna's history and resided in Washington County, Indiana. I have not found the link between those lines and my line. (Joseph Lemuel Martin, Abner Martin, Phebe Martin who married Asa Wright are names in the book and resided in Washington County, Indiana.)

I did check in with the researchers at germanna.org, but did not find any potential ancestor whose birth and death dates matched up to be the parents of William Martin.

So my frustration is that I do not want to erroneously place my family as a Germanna Colony descendant, without adequate proof. Yet supposedly the dna places my Martin line under Jost Martin. I did note that my two male Martin's who tested were of a "G" haplo group, and other Martin's listed were different haplo groups.

You may contact me for questions regarding the language of the known German documents associated with Johann Justus Albrecht, the leader of the "miners," Pastor Henrich Haeger and his son, New York's Rev. Johann Friedrich Haeger.

My question - Who is this Solomon Gaar? I previously thought the earliest "Germanna" Gaar/Garr, was Andreas Gaar, who arrived in America in 1732. Solomon is noted to be an Englishman, but with the reference to Spotswood and Germanna in Virginia, I must wonder if Solomon connects in some way to Andreas.

Lynnea Dickinson

The American Weekly Mercury (Philadelphia, PA), 31 May 1722:

Reward Offered For Five Runaway Servants Belonging to Governor SPOTSWOOD.

Run away the 22d of April last, from Germanna in Virginia, five servant men, belonging to his Excellency Colonel SPOTSWOOD, Governor of Virginia, by name, John COLE, Henry REDWOOD, Solomon GAAR, Edmund THOMAS and George MACDONNALD. The said COLE, an Englishman, speaking remarkably on the West-Country dialect, of a middle stature, fair complexion, land hair, aged about 30 years, and a Wheelwright by trade. The said REDWOOD, an Englishman, speaking broad West-Country, of a tall stature, brown complexion, thin visage, lank hair, aged about 30 years, an able Sawyer, and having his razors and hone, serves upon occasion as a Barber. The said GAAR, an Englishman, speaking likewise as a West-Country man, of a remarkable large stature, round large visage, fresh comely complexion, land hair, aged about 30 years, a Miller by profession, of a good Waggoner upon occasion. The said THOMAS, an Englishman, of a middle stature, slender size, brown complexion, curled hair, aged about twenty five years, a Carter and Husbandman by profession. And the said MACDONNALD, A Scotsman, speaking broad Scots, of a middle stature, thick size, round visage, freckled complexion, wearing a wig, aged about twenty two years, a Taylor by trade.

The remarkable cloathing which they are known to have gone away with was, duffle surtout coats, whereof four were red and one blue, new cotton wastcoats knapt and of a sea green colour, leather breeches, whereof some newly made, and linnen trowsers, new Scots plaiden hose, besides other sorts of stockings, new shirts of ozenbrigs, and Scots tweed linnen (whereof each runaway had two at least) which are marked o9n the breast with figures of different numbers, between 20 and 90. John COLE had in particular a figured calico wastcoat without sleeves, which is to tie on the side, and a gun with him, and George MACDONNALD had a light coloured kersey coat made frock fashion, with four or five buttons and not lin'd.

Whoever secures all, or any one of the said servants, and delivers them to the Sheriff of any of the counties within this Province of Pennsylvania, or of the Counties of Newcastle, Kent or Susses upon Delaware, shall, upon any of the said Sheriffs receit, for all, or any one or more of the said servants, produced to George BARCLAY, Secretary to His Excellency the Governor of the said Province and Counties, receive two pistoles reward for each of these runaways, so delivered, as aforesaid, with reasonable charges.

Hello my name is Lorraine Norman Johnson I am a new member and would like any info I could get on my fNorman family. Thornton M. Norman was my great great grandfather but I don't know who his parents or before that are. My father was Joseph Edward Norman born jan. 23 1932 in Akron Oh.,s/o Joseph Namron Norman born Jan.29 1885 in Calhouncounty WV.,s/o Isaac Barber Norman born Feb. 4 1885 Gilmer county Va. (WV).,s/o Thornton M. Norman born about 1824 Monongalia county Va. I remember my mother telling me that my father's family were from Germany,but I have no proof. I am very much interested in my family geneology any assistance would be greatly appreciated. My e-mail is lorrjohn@yahoo.com. Thank you Lorraine Norman Johnson

A contact informed me that he had read the name of Glick as a member of one of the colonies.

George Glick was married to Rachel Fisher (b. 1799 in Berks Co., PA; d: 09 Jan. 1891 in Mt. Carmel,Illinois, buried in Rosehill Cem.). Have no info on who her parents were, but could someone helpme find the GLICK surname in one of the lists. Knowing that George Glick was not a Germanna member, finding his name and his wife will help me find the family, perhaps. The Fisher surname was on the list, I believe. I am a new member and have no idea what to do.

Thank you so much. Mary Kathryne Burton (I sent a message earlier, too)

As far as I know, Glick and Fischer are not Germanna names. There is a Fischbach family in the First Colony. They may well be Germans from other areas of Viriginia. I emailed you privately with a few suggestions. I hope you will consider joining us.

My present project is gathering information on the Tanner family, Robert, his son Christoper, Christopher's son Jacob and Jacob's son Frederick. I have a copy of a bond signed, in 1737,by Christopher in which he states that Robert is do to depart for Germany. Does anyone haveinformation if Robert did go back to Germany in 1738?

For those descended from the Kempers of Germanna and all their kin (many of the marriage partners were of Fauquier Co., VA, even ones who did not speak German [I think]

This book is on google.books I did not go to the end, but I am under the impression, it is the entire book.

Genealogy of the Kemper Family in the United States: Descendants of John ...

edited by Willis M. Kemper, Harry Linn Wright

This book is over 100 years old, and my impression is that much of the later material was obtained through correspondence.

If you are going to Salt Lake City to the Family History Library, be sure to check whether the FHL has digitized or microfiched the book.

If it has been microfiched, the old price (may be still true) is 15 cents per microfiche, but some collections (such as North Carolina marriage bonds index) are 100s of microfiche, so read the catalog entry CAREFULLY. The microfiche generally stays at the Family History Center through you order the film.

i have traced my maternal grandmother, Lena A. Willhite to Johann Micheal Willhite, he was part of the 2nd German Colony. Lena married James Albert Bickers{my maternal grandfather.}.James is a decendent of Sally Leathers,and William P. Bickers.Sally was the daughter of Nicholas Leathers and Elizabeth. Nicholas was the son of Johann Paulus Leathers and Barbara Margret Clore. My entire family line can be traced to Virginia in the 1700's. The Bickers clan and the Beverlys are traced back to England. My question is did the Bickers and the Beverlys have anything to do with the gov.Alexander Spootswood. I find it facsinating that my entire line can be traced to Virginia.

There were political connections between Peter Beverley and Lt. Governor Alexander Spotswood. Peter Beverley served on the Council during part of Spotswood's tenure as Lt. Governor of the Colony of Virginia. The Beverley family was quite active in acquiring land as was Spotswood.

As a descendent of Alice and Jacob Ka/Ke/Cackley, I have heard over the years that because of her role as John Spilman's "next friend" in the Spilman vs. Gent lawsuit, this indicates she was his older sister. I don't think that could possibly be true because Alice was 88 years old when she died in 1805. She must have been born around 1717. Maybe she was his aunt. Is there a reliable genealogy of the Spilman line? Has anyone ever seen a record of an Alice Spilman marriage to Jacob Cackley? Any clues, leads or direction will be appreciated.

A "next friend" in a court case doesn't even have to be a relative, so to make an assumption of the sort you mentioned is dangerous and will lead you, more often than not, down the wrong path. I've not seen a marriage between any Spilmans and Cackleys. This, however, does not mean there isn't one.

Some individuals think that nothing should ever be written or reported that may be perceived by the reader as less than flattering. As we research our families, we find those ancestors who may have done things or lived their lives in such a way that they (poor departed souls) incur the judgment of their descendants living now. Perhaps we should view them a bit more kindly, and thus, perhaps, they will not look too harshly at our own lives. As responsible family historians and genealogists, we have an obligation to report accurately and fairly what we discover even when it is less than flattering.

The 1714 Germanna Colonist Hans Jacob Holtzclaw, teacher, group leader, lay reader at church was a bit too fond of drink, at least on one occasion. Some interesting genealogical items found in a lawsuit dismissed in 1771 are presented here.

On 22 August 1757 Jacob Holtzclaw made the following gift to his unmarried daughter Eve Holtzclaw:

This is to give Notice to all Persons & that I Jacob Holtzclaw made over & Promise to Give my Daughter Eve Holtzclaw Ten Pounds Curr[en]t Money & a Negro Girl named Cate for her Service She did for her mother on her Death bed & to her Death, which I Say She is to have besides her Share She is to have in the Remainder of my Estate which Ten Pounds & Negro Girl [illegible] to my Daughter after my Death, Witness my hand this Twenty Second Day of August in the Year of our Lord 1757.Jacob HoltzclawDone in the Presence ofI.C. Philip Fangemunden [sic]Peter HittJacob SpilmanJoseph Taylor

In the deposition of Peter Hitt aged about 80 years he stated that he heard Jacob Holtzclaw say that he would give his daughter Eve Holtzclaw a Negro girl and when Jacob Holtzclaw said that he "appeared to be very much in Liquor and believes that he did not know any thing he said or did." Peter Hitt further stated that he heard no mention of any money. Peter Hitt signed with his mark "PH."

In his deposition Joseph Taylor aged about 40 years stated that he heard Jacob Holtzclaw say that he would give his daughter Eve Holtzclaw a Negro girl and "that he believes the said Jacob Holtzclaw was so much in Liquor at the same time that he did not know what he said or did." Further he heard no mention of money. Joseph Taylor signed with an "x."

William Kierne [not listed as a witness] aged about 50 years gave his deposition that he heard Jacob Holtzclaw say that the Parson had come to see him and the Parson wanted Jacob Holtzclaw to give his daughter Eve Holtzclaw ten pounds along with the Negro girl for taking care of her mother while sick. William Kierne signed his name "W Kierne."

All of the above depositions were taken 27 September 1764 by W. Blackwell and Jos. Hudnall and returned to the court.

Catharine [maiden name unknown], second wife of Jacob Holtzclaw, is usually reported as dying between 1754 and 1759. Based on the statement by Jacob Holtzclaw, we now know she died before 22 August 1757.

Eve, the daughter of Jacob Holtzclaw, is referred to by her maiden name in the statement of her father and in the depositions. The statement of her father written in 1757 and the depositions taken in 1764 could indicate that Eve married Allen Wiley after 1764; however, in Jacob Holtzclaw's will written 15 January 1759, Eve is referred to as Eve Wiley, thus she was probably married sometime about 1758 despite the references to her by her maiden name in the 1764 depositions.

The approximate birth dates of the deponents can be determined from their respective depositions. Peter Hitt's age was given as about 80 years, thus born about 1684. Joseph Taylor's age was given as about 40 years, thus born about 1724 and William Kierne, being about 50 years old, was born about 1724.

The date on the chancery suit of 1771 refers to the date of settlement or dismissal. In this case, the suit was dismissed. Further, there is no explanation given as to why two of the witnesses [Joseph Taylor and Peter Hitt] signed a document that they later denied. The name of the Parson who came to visit Jacob Holtzclaw remains unknown.

Questions remain:What was the maiden name of Jacob Holtzclaw's second wife?Why did Peter Hitt and Joseph Taylor later deny a statement they had made?Who was the Parson?

I just jointed the group and want to thank you for the interesting post on his drinking problem. I guess they were plagued with syster lawyers, even then. Jacob Holzklau was also my 6 Great Grandfather, thru his Granddaughter, Charlotte Holzclaw, daughter of Timothy, Henry's son. My Great Grandmother, Sarah Burns Watkins(1846-1891) was Charlotte Holzclaw Burnes' Granddaughter.

Next fall I am making a trip to the Germanna and Germantown area. Question: Does anyone know the burial site of Hans Jacob Holzklau and is his grave marked?

Larry,Thank you for your comments. Hans Jacob Holzklau's burial place is unknown. Most of his property at Germantown is under the waters of Crockett Park. If he was buried there, then his grave is inaccessible today. There has been some talk that the Germantown community may have had a common cemetery but nothing definitive has been discovered about that.

Most of Germantown is under water and the Fort Germanna site is privately owned by Mary Washington University. At one time, there was some archeological work done at the Fort site, but that research stopped years ago for a variety of reasons.

Though I have been a genealogist for 50 years, my work on my Germanna ancestors has been minimal. Lately, I have decided to review the documentation on these people. Some frequently stated things are troubling because they seem to contradict the evidence. To use an example: There is a long-standing list of Peter Hitt's children which identifies John Hitt as his eldest son and B. C. Holtzclaw (an excellent researcher) calls him Peter's "eldest son." Nevertheless, the 1772 will of Peter Hitt, a document long available to all, clearly calls Harmon and Joseph "my eldest sons." John was still alive and living in Fauquier County, so why are Peter Hitt's words not taken at face value? Perhaps someone has a good explanation, but I have never found a will, in my 50 years of research, which did not mean what it says when it says "eldest sons."

Another example: Peter Hitt's son, Harmon Hitt, is almost always said to have been born in 1721 and died in 1820 at the age of 99. Presumably there was some old tradition regarding his age, as such traditions are fairly common. One of my ancestors was always said to have lived to 101 years, despite the fact his will said he was "upwards of 90" and the evidence suggests he was about 92 or 93. What is the evidence for Harmon's death in 1820. My minimal research, not exhaustive, shows no evidence of him after 1797. Nor do I have any evidence regarding his year of birth.

I am not trying to be negative about our Hitt traditions--just trying to clarify some facts. Surely some readers, or future readers, of this list have researched the Hitt family in much greater depth than I.

In the Journal of Bishop Francis Asbury for the year 1808 he mentions staying "under the roof of Herman Hitt: he is now eight six." The descendants of Harman Hitt have a well established tradition that he lived to be 99 years old.

The full length transcriptions of Peter Hitt's will claim to be quoting the Fauquier County Will Book 1, page 200, and perhaps they are? However, I learned that the original LOOSE will of Peter Hitt exists with its original signature (mark) and the signatures/marks of witnesses. The Germanna Foundation Library has a photocopy. I obtained a copy and it does NOT include the word "ELDEST" prior to Harmon and Joseph's designation as Executors. Therefore, I think John Hitt probably was the ELDEST son as he is named first in the will. I have no idea how the word "eldest" came to be entered in later transcriptions unless it is an error in the Will Book copy itself?

I apologize for raising this issue, but I suspect someone else would have noticed the conflict eventually, which could have been important.

Would be good to hear from any others doing work in original records of the Hitt family.

I believe Dr. Holtzclaw was quoting another writer in a local newsletter when he stated that John Hitt was the eldest son. I haven't located a copy of this newsletter so do not know who the author was. I do agree that Dr. Holtzclaw's conclusions as to the birth order of the sons do not match the statements in the will. I do not know why he didn't consult the will, since it has been readily available all these years.The Hitt family is one that is in need of serious indepth research by a highly competent genealogist. There are many questions so far left unanswered about this family.

Does anyone have any information that would help in proving the parentage of William Wilhite, born in Knox County, Tennessee about 1809? William apparently married in Tennessee. His first wife may have been Elmira. He may have had three sons, Isaac D., William J., and James C. and a daughter, Melvina. William then appears in Meade County, KY, where, in 1843, he married my great-great grandmother, Lucinda Lemaster (also known as Lucinda Lancaster). Lucinda died in 1852 in Hardin county, KY shortly after giving birth to my great grandfather, George Washington Wilhite. Later that year, William married Lucinda's sister, Mary Ann Lemaster.

With the help of John Connie Wilhite, Jr., it seems that William is likely the son of Julius and Margaret Hise Wilhite, but we haven't yet found documentation to prove that link.

Queen Anne's War, as the War of Spanish Succession was referred to in the American Colonies, began in 1702 and ended with the signing of the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. Shortly after that, the group of Germans who became known as the First Germanna Colony, departed from their home villages to emigrate to the American colonies. Would the ending of Queen Anne's War have been a factor in their decision to emigrate at that particular time?

Though the Germanna Colonies are often said to have started in 1713, thehistory commences many years earlier. The incident which was important tothere being a locality called Germanna was the decision of Franz LouisMichel, a citizen of Bern, Switzerland, to go to America and investigateconditions there. He left Basel on 8 Oct 1701 and arrived in Yorktown,Virginia on 8 May 1702. He remained only a short time but was impressedenough to return home where he encouraged friends to think of recruiting and transporting emigrants to America.

Very soon afterwards, Michel left again for America where he visited severalof the colonies including the Carolinas, Virginia, Maryland andPennsylvania. This time, his explorations were in more depth and included along trip to the Shenandoah Valley which he mapped. (His map still existstoday and his exploration of the Valley was in considerably more detail thanSpotswood's later and very hurried trip to the Valley.) Michel decided thatthe Valley would be an excellent place to settle the colonists which hehoped to obtain.

He and his partners petitioned the Crown in 1705 with a plan of colonizationfor the Shenandoah Valley which received only a lukewarm reception inLondon. The plan was kept alive until 1709 though. When Michel returned toEurope in 1708, he met an individual whose own plans were similar toMichel's. Important to their future relationship was the fact that Michelthought he had found mineral wealth in the Shenandoah Valley in the form ofsilver.

I think you may be thinking of the Rectortown Cemetery where it is thought that Hans Jacob Richter is buried along with other Rectors. I'm not sure of the exact location within Fauquier County VA, but at one time, there was a maintenance fund set up at one of the local banks to help with the upkeep.

A warrant issued from the Northern Neck Proprietary's office to John Savage on 12 January 1725/1726 was signed over by him to Edmund Thomas of Stafford County, Virginia for 615 acres. The land lay between Elk Run and Licking Run in Stafford County and adjacent to Robert "King" Carter and Daniel Feagan. The land was finally surveyed 5 August 1727 and granted to Catherine Thomas on 22 January 1727/1728.

Catherine Thomas, as the widow of Edmund Thomas, was eligible to have the land surveyed and granted to her based on the warrant initially issued to her husband. The marriage is inferred from this land transaction since married women could not own or convey property, but a widow could. Further the dates given an indication of a time fram for the death of Edmund Thomas. The warrant was issued and signed over to him on 12 January 1725/1726 and on 5 August 1727 Catherine Thomas had the land surveyed. Between 12 January 1725/1726 and 5 August 1727 Edmund Thomas died. It is still unknown to which Thomas family Edmund belonged.

Catherine Thomas later married John Holtzclaw, eldest son of the 1714 immigrant, Hans Jacob Holtzclaw.

I am very interested in the Boone county settlement, however some of my" First Colony Descendants",Archibald Holtzclaw ( my 4g-Grandfather ), and his wife Miriam Hitt, lived in Fayette County, Kentucky, in 1795. West of modern day Lexington, Ky. My 3rd g-Grandfather, Peter Holtzclaw was born in 1802, Fayette County, Ky. They left Kentucky, for Missouri in 1825. I would like to know, who were the first Germanna family's, to move to Kentucky ? And would also like to know, when they will be included in the Kentucky Conference ?

When: Saturday, October 1, 2011 (with a social time gathering on Friday evening, September 30).

Those interested in the history of the Germanna settlers will have an opportunity to gather together, share stories, learn from excellent speakers, and touch the past that brought us to where we are today!

Graves Mountain Lodge in Madison County, Virginia will be the site for this inaugural conference of the Germanna Research Group!

The lineup of superb speakers includes John Blankenbaker and Suzanne Matson with others to be announced soon!

I have traced my Rector family heritage back to the second colonists. My 3rd great grandfather, Samuel Rector, who was in the 1st Nebraska Infantry in the civil war, is buried in Weeping Water Nebraska. Can anyone vailidate any of this for me as being correct as a direct descendent of the colonist Rectors.